Noncontact IC medium and system using the same

• US 7,051,933 B1
• Filed: 08/30/1999
• Issued: 05/30/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: WINX Corporation
• Original Assignee: C. Media Co., Ltd., Itochu Corporation
• Inventors: Nagaoka, Jiro, Nakajima, Satoki
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Thien M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): TAYLOR, APRIL ALICIA
• Application Number:
  US09/763,523
• Time in Patent Office: 2,465 Days
• Field of Search: 235/375, 235/451, 235/492
• US Class Current: 235/451
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 13/00 Conveying record carriers from one station to another, e.g. from stack to punching mechanism conveying record carriers combined with another operation, e.g. with reading G06K17/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/005 the record carrier comprising an arrangement to facilitate insertion into a holding device, e.g. an arrangement that makes the record carrier fit into an etui or a casing ticket holders A45C11/18
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/04 characterised by the shape
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/047 the record carrier being shaped as a coin or a gambling token
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07749 the record carrier being capable of non-contact communication, e.g. constructional details of the antenna of a non-contact smart card
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/0008 General problems related to the reading of electronic memory record carriers, independent of its reading method, e.g. power transfer
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10128 the step consisting of detection of the presence of one or more record carriers in the vicinity of the interrogation device
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10237 the reader and the record carrier being capable of selectively switching between reader and record carrier appearance, e.g. in near field communication [NFC] devices where the NFC device may function as an RFID reader or as an RFID tag
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 27/00 Combined visual and audible advertising or displaying, e.g. for public address
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/10 using inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/40 using two or more transmitting or receiving devices H02J50/50 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0042 characterised by the mechanical construction
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/14 including a card reading device

Abstract

There is provided a cellular phone radio that is capable of utilizing a contactless IC media. A contactless IC media 20b is molded in the form of a coin and interchangeably born by a cellular phone radio 110. The cellular phone radio 110 includes a media holder 111, a radio transceiver circuit having an antenna 112, and a control circuit that conducts the read control and the write control of digital information with respect to both recording regions of a contactless IC media 20b within the media holder 111 and an external contactless IC media 20a, ICC, and also includes a processor that conducts information processing on the basis of the read digital information as occasion demands.

Claims

1. A contactless reader/writer, characterized by comprising:

a movable media bearing member for bearing a plurality of contactless IC media each having a digital information recording region on the same plane at the same time;

a radio transceiver circuit having an antenna disposed at a specific position which is in parallel with said media bearing member; and

a displacement mechanism that displaces said media bearing member on said plane so that a specific one of said plurality of contactless IC media approaches said specific position;

wherein the digital information is received and transmitted between said specific contactless IC media and said antenna.

2. The contactless reader/writer as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that said media bearing member includes a holder for bearing said plurality of contactless IC media at given intervals at the same time;

and

in that said displacement mechanism brings said specific contactless IC media in close contact with said antenna.

3. The contactless reader/writer as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the same function as a function given to said contactless IC media is realized on the basis of the digital information recorded on said born contactless IC media.

4. The contactless reader/writer as claimed in claim 3, characterized by further comprising information processing means for executing information processing on the basis of the digital information read through said control circuit;

wherein the information processing result by said information processing means is recorded on said specific contactless IC media from which the digital information has been read.

5. The contactless reader/writer as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that said contactless IC media is accommodated in a card medium used in an information processing device on which the card reader/writer is mounted.

6. The contactless reader/writer as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the contactless reader/writer is built in a housing having an interface with an external electronic device;

and in that the digital information read out from said specific contactless IC media through said antenna is transmitted to said external electronic device through said interface.

7. A contactless reader/writer, characterized by comprising:

a media bearing member for bearing a plurality of contactless IC media each having a digital information recording regiion at the same time;

a read/write mechanism bearing member on which a media read/write mechanism including an antenna and a radio transceiver circuit is mounted; and

a displacement mechanism that displaces said read/write mechanism bearing member so that a specific one of said plurality of contactless IC media approaches said antenna;

wherein the digital information is received and transmitted wit respect to said specific contactless IC media through said antenna.

8. The contactless reader/writer as claimed in claim 7, characterized in that said media bearing member includes a holder for bearing said plurality of contactless IC media at given intervals at the same time;

and

in that said displacement mechanism brings said specific contactless IC media in close contact with said antenna.

9. The contactless reader/writer as claimed in claim 7, characterized in that the same function as a function given to said contactless IC media is realized on the basis of the digital information recorde on said born contactless IC media.

10. The contactless reader/writer as claimed in claim 9, characterized by further comprising information processing means for executing information processing on the basis of the digital information read through said control circuit;

wherein the information processing result by said information processing means is recorded on said specific contactless IC media from which the digital information has been read.

11. The contactless reader/writer as claimed in claim 9, characterized in that said contactless IC media is accomodated in a card medium used in an information processing device on which the card reader/writer is mounted.

12. The contactless reader/writer as claimed in claim 7, characterized in that the contactless reader/writer is built in a housing having an interface with an external electronic device,

and in that the digital information read out from said specific contactless IC media through said antenna is transmitted to said external electronic device through said interface.

13. A contactless reader/writer for writing of information in a contactless manner with respect to a media embedding a contactless IC module having a digital information recording region, or for reading of the information in a contactless manner with respect to the contactless IC media, wherein said contactless reader/writer is built in a housing of an electronic device, characterized in that the contactless reader/writer comprising:

a radio transceiver circuit having at least one antenna, said antenna having a coverage at predetermined portion within the housing and acoverage to the outside direction of said housing;

a media bearing member for bearing at least one said media at predetermined portion;

a control section for controlling the read and write of digital information with respect to said media at the predetermined portion and another media at external of said housing through said radio transceiver circuit, and for controlling transfer of digital information between an external electronic circuit and said media at predetermined portion of said another media.

14. The contactless reader/writer as claimed in claim 13, characterized in that:

said radio transceiver circuit comprising a first transceiver circuit for wireless transmitting and receiving between said media at predetermined portion and a second transceiver circuit for wireless transmitting and receiving between said another media;

said control section conducts the read control or the write control of digital information with respect to each media through said first transceiver circuit or said second transceiver circuit.

15. A contactless reader/writer for writing of information with respect to a media embedding a contactless IC module having a recording region, or for reading of information with respect to said media, wherein said contactless reader/writer is built in a predetermined housing, characterized in that the contactless reader/writer comprising:

a media bearing member for bearing said media;

a radio transceiver circuit having an antenna;

said antenna having a coverage at a bearing portion of said media bearing member and a coverage to external direction of said housing;

a control section for enabling access to another media disposed at external of said housing based on the information recorded in the media born by said media bearing member through the radio transceiver circuit, or for allowing the information be taken from said another media to the media born by said media bearing member.

16. A contactless reader/writer for writing of information in a contactless manner with respect to a media embedding a contactless IC module having a digital information recording region, or for reading of the information in a contactless manner with respect to the contactless IC media, wherein said contactless reader/writer is built in a housing of an electronic device, characterized in that the contactless reader/writer comprising:

a media bearing member for bearing a plurality of said media;

a radio transceiver circuit having a plurality of antennas, wherein each of said antennas having a coverage at a bearing portion of said media bearing member and a coverage to external direction of said housing and operating under predetermined condition;

a control section for enabling access to another media disposed at external of said housing based on the information recorded in the media which wirelessly communicate through any antenna of said radio transceiver circuit and which is of a plurality of media born by said media bearing member, or for allowing the information be taken from said another media in the media born by said media bearing member through any antenna of said radio transceiver circuit.

17. The contactless reader/writer as claimed in claim 16, characterized in that:

said antennas are provided with the same number as the number of the media born in the media bearing member, and one antenna corresponds to one media.

18. The contactless reader/writer as claimed in claim 17, characterized in that:

a plurality of said antennas are disposed on the same plane, and each media is disposed in close contact with corresponding antenna.

19. A contactless reader/writer comprising:

a media bearing member for bearing a contactless IC media having a recording region;

a radio transceiver circuit having an antenna; and

a control circuit for controlling the read or write of digital information with respect to both of the recording regions of a contactless IC media which is born by said media bearing member and an external contactless IC media having a recording region within a coverage of said antenna through said radio transceiver circuit,

wherein said antenna is embedded in a housing part positioned between said born contactless IC media and said external contactless IC media.